logo
episode-header-image
Jun 2021
17m 29s

Can bad news be delivered well?

Bbc World Service
About this episode

No one wants to be told they’ve lost their job, or that their entire department is disappearing, but the way that message is delivered can have consequences - both in the short term and sometimes years into the future.

We hear the best techniques for delivering negative tidings; and some clangers. Elizabeth Hotson gets tips and advice from Heather McGregor, entrepreneur author and Dean of Heriot Watt Business School, hears about a very awkward conversation from former Chairman of the airline Jet Blue, now Stanford professor, Joel Peterson, and from Neal Hartman, a professor at the Sloan School of Management at MIT, specialising in communications and leadership.

Presenter: Elizabeth Hotson Producer: Sarah Treanor

(Picture: Woman on a laptop with a headache. Credit: Getty Creative)

Up next
Yesterday
The impact of 'thirsty' data centres
We're in the US state of Georgia, where huge data centres need water to keep cool. But how is this need for cloud storage and AI capability affecting local residents and the environment?Presenter: Michelle Fleury Producer: Nathalie Jimenez(Image: Georgia resident Beverly Morris l ... Show More
17m 50s
Jul 8
Does university still get you a well-paid job?
Graduates are facing one of the toughest jobs markets in decades. We hear from students in India, the US and UK about whether they feel a university or college degree is worth it as we discuss the cost of attending university around the world and what your job prospects might be ... Show More
17m 27s
Jul 7
Returning to Ukraine?
The UN estimates that nearly seven million Ukrainians have left their home country since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Many have set up businesses in their new country - around 90,000 of those in Poland. We hear about the challenges they’ve faced, and the sectors ... Show More
17m 30s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2019
Harvard Business School Broadcast
Bloomberg Businessweek Editor Joel Weber talks about Businessweek Best B-Schools rankings. Scott Sperling, Co-President at Thomas Lee Partners, explains why companies are taking longer to go public. Sal Khan, Founder of Khan Academy, talks about launching a partnership with NWEA. ... Show More
1h 24m
Oct 2023
In denial
Bad behaviour and big mistakes can destroy careers and even entire businesses if they're not addressed quickly, so why do some companies and their leaders try to downplay or even deny them?Evan Davis and guests discuss the culture of defensiveness and denial that exists in some o ... Show More
32m 14s
Feb 2022
Political: Am I Normal?
Emily, John and David discuss Donald Trump’s attempts to seize voting machines, the racist attacks on the yet-to-be-named SCOTUS nominee, and they are joined by Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings program at Harvard University's T. H. Chan School of Public Health, to ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 2022
73. Listen Up: Why It’s Better to Be Interested Than Interesting
As a communication expert, Alison Wood Brooks spends a lot of time talking about talking. But, as she says, listening is just as important.“My course is called TALK,” says Wood Brooks, who is the O'Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at ... Show More
25m 37s
Mar 2018
The Advice We Get and Give
Don’t negotiate against yourself. It’s OK to drop the ball. Sleep. We get wisdom from women who are experts on how we work — and who have advice on how to ask for more money, achieve more by doing less, and avoid burning out. We talk with Duke University management professor Ashl ... Show More
1h 6m
Feb 2024
Navigating the Say-Do Gap
It’s easy for people to say they want to buy a particular product, perhaps in the name of sustainability. But how often do individuals actually follow through with these well-meaning intentions? Academics regularly observe a difference between what consumers say they want to do a ... Show More
41m 13s
Jul 2022
Woke or Broke?
From Disney to the Halifax bank, companies are increasingly willing to take a stance on everything. But what is driving this trend and will it continue? Ultimately isn't it the job of a business to make money for its shareholders and not get involved in politics and contentious s ... Show More
28m 53s
Apr 2024
Tesla Senior Executives Leave in Midst of Global Job Cuts
Watch Carol and Tim LIVE every day on YouTube: http://bit.ly/3vTiACF. Bloomberg Technology Co-Host Ed Ludlow explains that two of Tesla’s top executives have left the carmaker in the midst of its latest round of job cuts. Katie Thomas, Head of the Kearney Consumer Institute, shar ... Show More
37m 1s